1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a removable modular connector for use in an electronic device and to devices that are insertable in the removable modular connector or integral thereto. The present invention also relates to a variety of devices such as an RJ-45 removable jack, an interface cable connection, an infrared receive and transmit device, a video interface, and others. The removable modular connector is standardizable to receive or incorporate any and all of the above-mentioned devices.
2. The Relevant Technology
As technology increasingly depends upon electronics, the interconnectability of electronic devices has become more prevalent. One may now utilize a cellular telephone to provide a data link with a laptop computer through a modem. Digital still cameras and video cameras may be connected to a computer or to a video monitor. Portable computers are used to access the Internet and may also be connected to local area networks, wide area networks, and intranets. Because portable computers by definition have the capability of being transported between locations, it is important to be able to reconnect a portable computer to other electronic devices upon reaching a new location.
To assist in the interconnectivity of electronic devices to computers, standards such as the Personal Computer Modem Card International Association card (PCMCIA card) and PC card standards have been agreed upon. The standard dictates the size of memory and the physical size of the communication card so that the card may be interchanged between computers. The card provides a standard connection at one end which integrates with the printed circuit board of the computer and provides some connection scheme at the other end to allow interconnectability with cables such as telephone lines, network lines and peripheral devices such as the cellular phone discussed previously. Unfortunately, while the connection between the PCMCIA card and the computer has been standardized, the interconnection between the PCMCIA card and the outside world is not standardized and many incompatible schemes have been developed.
Similarly, devices which in the past have not required connectivity as a criterion for their design, have now evolved into a digital format which allows for much greater compatibility than in the past. Interconnectability between still cameras and video cameras with computers and video monitors was not necessary before the advent of the digital format in cameras. Before wireless modems, portable computers were forced to attach only to land line telephones. Person Digital Assistants (PDAs) are now used to carry telephone numbers, addresses and provide rudimentary operating systems to run compiled software programs. These PDAs may often be synchronized with other computers. Some PDAs also synchronize with cell phones to program the telephone numbers stored in the PDA into the cellular telephone. Satellite telephones may also be connected to computers. Automobiles now provide emergency services through the use of built-in cellular telephones. Some of these systems provide interconnection between the cellular phone and a diagnostics system now available on some automobiles.
Because standards of interconnectability have not kept pace with the advent of compatible products, it has become increasingly difficult to own several electronic devices without also purchasing several adapters and cords to provide interconnectivity between those devices.
Not everyone perceives the same need to own interconnectable electronic devices, however, some manufactures have been reluctant to build-in features that allow interconnectability and that incur the increased costs associated with that interconnectability when only a portion of the consumers of that device will require that feature. Such manufactures have been forced to provide several products to satisfy the needs of consumers. These manufacturers typically provide a low end product which is not interconnectable and several high end products featuring several of the most popular methods of connection.
What is needed in the art is a removable modular connector that overcomes the problems of the prior art. It would therefore be an advancement in the art to provide a system for interconnect modularity with an electronic communication card or a mother board that standardizes the electronic link for a variety of devices such as interconnects, transceivers, video units, and the like.
It would be an advancement in the art to provide a system for interconnect modularity with a PCMCIA card that provides a locking mechanism therefore, and that standardizes the electronic link for a variety of devices such as interconnects, transceivers, video units, and the like.
Such a removable connector, connector ports, electronic devices, and systems are disclosed as claimed herein.